Muhammad Sa'id al-Sakkar

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Muhammad Sa'id Saggar
Born25 April 1934 (1934-04-25)
Miqdadiyah, Iraq 
Died24 March 2014 (2014-03-25) (aged 79)
Paris, France 
NationalityKingdom of Iraq
Ba'athist Iraq
France
Occupation(s)Poet and calligrapher
OrganizationUnion of Iraqi Writers

Muhammad Sa'id al-Saggar (Arabic: محمد سعيد الصكار) (French: Mohammed Saïd Saggar) (born 25 April 1934, Miqdadiyah) was an Iraqi poet and calligrapher.[1] He was born in Miqdadiyah in the Diyala Governorate in 1934.[2] He used to be a painter; he ran a publishing house in Paris since 1978, and has been a journalist since 1955. He published his literature and critical articles in many newspapers and magazines.[3] He has published over 14 books of poetry, theatre, the short story, linguistics, art, and other disciplines. He is arguably the most distinguished Iraqi artist-calligrapher in the 21st century. al-Saggar died in Paris on March 23, 2014.[2]

Life

al-Saggar was born in 1934 in Miqdadiyah, east of Baghdad, but grew up in Basra,[4] a governate in southern Iraq. Basra remained visible in al-Saggar's works,[5] starting with his first poetry collection Rain (1962) and An Orange in the Surah of Water (1968),[6] as well as his many paintings, which made him a prominent present-day calligrapher and artisan.[7][8] The Iraqi artist has resided in France since 1978; he chose it when he was forced into exile and had more time to work on his art works in his studio. In his long professional career, al-Saggar practiced journalism as an editor, calligrapher, and designer since 1955.

Works

His collections of poetry include:

  • Rain; 1962
  • An Orange in the Surah of Water; 1968[6]
  • The Complete Works of Poetry
  • A Collection in French; 1995

His publications include:

  • Arabic Calligraphy for Youth
  • The Days of Abd al-Haqq al-Baghdadi[9]
  • The Pen and What Has Been Written[10]
  • The Plight of Mahmoud al-Shahid[11]

Awards

al-Saggar has received several awards, most notably the Architectural Heritage Award, which he received in recognition of his design of the

Arab World Institute and former French Minister of Culture.[13]

al-Saggar created the "Focused Arabic Alphabet" 40 years ago in an attempt to simplify Arabic script for the developments of digital printing systems.[14] Thanks to this innovation, the first informatics applications were launched, enabling computer designers to design various Arabic texts currently in use.

References

  1. JSTOR 4183505
    .
  2. ^ a b "SAGGAR, Mohammed Said - Le Delarge -Le dictionnaire des arts plastiques modernes et contemporains". www.ledelarge.fr. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  3. ISBN 978-0-8108-7706-1
    .
  4. ^ "For the award-winning calligrapher and designer who grew up in war-torn Basra, the pen has always been mightier than the sword". fridaymagazine.ae. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  5. ^ "Iraqi calligraphers try to revive their art". Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  6. ^
    OCLC 23504520
    .
  7. ^ ArtFacts. "Mohammed Saeed Al Saggar | Artist". ArtFacts. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  8. ^ "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البيان. 2014-03-25.
  9. OCLC 32873544
    .
  10. OCLC 49299318
    .
  11. OCLC 39324751
    .
  12. ^ "محمد سعيد الصكار". www.almoajam.org. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  13. ^ "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البحار (in Arabic). 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  14. ^ "رحيل الخطاط العراقي محمد سعيد الصكّار". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
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